Sands of Time

already lost sight of the place where the bottle had broken.

Indeed I did. As did you. Which makes you a brave woman. A worthy descendant of my Louisa. There was a pause. But a foolish one. Did you think to thwart me so easily? I will find the power I need. One day.

She turned. There was still no sign of him. The beach was empty. ‘What is it you want power for? You still haven’t told me.’

Nor will I! But when I have it the whole world will hear once again of Roger Carstairs!

She shuddered.

And so will you, Anna. So will you. But in the meantime, maybe after all you are the right woman for my great-great grandson. You could make a man of him.

Anna was staring out to sea, her hands wedged into her pockets.

On the horizon a crimson segment of sun was beginning to show.

‘Do you remember the Egyptian dawn?’ she whispered. ‘The birth of the Sun God, Ra?’

But the tears of Isis had vanished; there was no place any longer for Egyptian magic in this cold land on the edge of the world. In seconds the rising sun was swallowed by a line of black cloud. The crimson path of light in the sea was extinguished; the water turned grey. Sizewell power station vanished in the drifting mist.

There was a quiet chuckle. She turned. It sounded so close. So real. Then she felt him. His hands were on her shoulders. His lips on hers.

So. The god has gone too. For now. Goodbye. Good luck, my dear. She could feel his breath on her cheek. Smell the sweet pomade. We could have been so good together. It is a shame we weren’t born in the same century, Mrs Fox. A great shame. But I will return for you one day. Make no mistake about that. The voice was fading to a whisper. Until then, farewell.

And the voice was gone.

Only the sound of the shift and suck of the tide on the beach and the cry of gulls broke the cold silence of the dawn.

19

When Toby and Phyllis and Serena arrived it had been full daylight for a while. Anna was sitting on the sea wall, her hands in her pockets, her coat collar turned up around her neck. The tide was at its height, gentler now, lapping at the seaweed and shells which marked its highest point. Soon it would start its retreat and draw back across the beach, leaving it sparkling and clean.

Anna looked up as they approached. She smiled wearily. ‘It’s all over. The bottle has gone.’

They stopped in their tracks. ‘Are you sure?’ It was Toby who voiced the thought they all shared.

She nodded. ‘I smashed it.’

‘And what happened?’

‘Nothing! The tears of Isis had evaporated. All there was left inside were a few grains of sand.’

‘And Carstairs?’ Toby scanned her face anxiously.

She frowned. ‘Carstairs has gone too.’ Stiffly she rose to her feet. ‘He left you a message before he went.’

Toby frowned. He braced himself visibly. ‘What was it?’

‘He seemed to think you and I had a future together.’ She reached out and took his hand. ‘He gave us his blessing; he said he thought a Shelley woman could make a man of you!’

‘What?’ For a moment his face was a picture of indignation. Then it relaxed and he reached out towards her and drew her into his arms. ‘She might at that,’ he said softly. ‘She just might, if she could ever grow to trust me again.’

She smiled. ‘I trust you, Toby.’

As they kissed in the ice cold wind Serena and Phyllis exchanged glances.

‘Yes!’ Phyllis raised her thumb in triumph.

Nestling into Toby’s arms Anna clung to him tightly. The rest of Lord Carstairs’ final message she would keep to herself.

The Storyteller

I am a storyteller.
I sit by the fire
With the night at my back
And wait for you to come.
I am a storyteller.
One by one you draw near
And sit down in the shadows
Silently
To wait
For the weaving of words.
I am a storyteller.
I paint pictures in your head
Which dance and spin and live
And change the world into mirrored glass.
I am a storyteller.
I conjure the sea
And juggle the stars.
I deal the cards
I cut the pack.
And captive, with a shiver,
You glance over your shoulder
Into the night.
I am a storyteller.
I hold the strings in my hand.
I command your tears and I let you laugh
And you hold your breath as I weave my
tale.
I am a storyteller.
Silent. Alone, I watch others play.
From the shadows
I peer into warm lighted windows
Unnoticed. Outside. On my own.
I am a storyteller.